Brothers
by CatsbytheGreat
Summary: Edmund always wanted a younger brother, and Corin just happened to be there.


**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or Narnia. They are property of C.S. Lewis.**

**Author's Note: Thanks to rmiller92 and francienyc for the reviews, and for francienyc for the constructive criticism on improving the story. The middle portion between Edmund and Corin has, as a result, been edited and changed. I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

_Year Eight of the Pevensie reign. _

King Edmund groaned as he checked yet another room for any sign of the young prince who had recently taken up residence in Cair Paravel and, even more recently, had somehow slipped away un-noticed. The room was painfully empty, and as Edmund withdrew he heard footsteps coming down the corridor. He immediately called out, "Corin? Is that you?"

"No," a voice, very feminine and not at all that of Prince Corin, called back. A few seconds later Queen Lucy rounded the corner, smiling at her brother, who looked utterly distressed.

"Where is he?" Edmund asked, more to himself than to Lucy, who nevertheless came over.

"I let him go riding," Lucy said. "You needn't worry so much as you are. He's probably gotten back and is by the stables now."

"You let him go riding!" Edmund repeated, looking horrified. "He doesn't know this country and I know he'll have gone to 'explore', as he calls it, and he won't have listened to anything you've told him about staying near the castle."

"Actually, I told him to stay on the beach," Lucy said, looking slightly perturbed. "He should be done by now."

"If I know Corin he'll have gone exploring," Edmund said. "I'll check the stables, though. If he's not there I'm going searching for him. It would create havoc between Archenland and Narnia if their Prince went missing under our care."

"I have to say, Lune trusts us a lot," Lucy said. "Would you like help?"

Edmund nodded and together they set off for the stables. When Corin was not there, they headed for the beach. The beach, they found, was very much abandoned of any sort of creature, including humans, and it was then that Edmund started to get both afraid and angry. "He won't know how to defend himself if he comes across something," he muttered as he and Lucy saddled their horses to go searching.

"I'm sorry," Lucy said, guilt showing clearly in her face. "I never should have let him go off alone."

"It really isn't your fault," Edmund told her comfortingly, although he still looked agitated. "Corin is eight years old, and in an unfamiliar place. He should know better than to go wandering off alone."

"Still, I feel as if this is my fault," Lucy told him.

"Nonsense. He is my responsibility."

Lucy was about to ask why Edmund thought Corin to be _his_ responsibility, when there were three other sovereigns in the castle who were also supposed to be looking after the young Prince (including herself), when he kicked his horse and cantered off and she had to hurry to catch up with him. "I do hope Peter doesn't find out about this," she muttered. "He would be very cross with all of us."

They asked around until finally a Faun told them that the young Prince had ridden west. Edmund, who knew the Western Woods better than any of the siblings, seemed visibly relieved at this, since he knew everywhere to look. At the same time he expressed concern to Lucy that Corin might have encountered some unfriendly creatures, which had been known to lurk in that part of Narnia. Lucy thought Edmund looked rather calm, but she knew he was also extremely worried. He was just better at hiding it than she was.

Edmund suggested that they check in with the Beavers at Beaversdam, since they might have heard something of Corin. As they cantered towards the dam, they could clearly see a familiar looking horse grazing in the grass beside the water, near the entrance to the Beavers' home. "That's the horse Corin took!" Lucy cried, and her brother nearly sagged with relief as they came up to it and alighted off their horses.

Lucy stooped over to knock on the small door of the damn, and was greeted warmly by Mrs. Beaver, who said, "Why, dearie, we've been expecting you! It seems a young Prince has lost his way and we thought it would be best if he stayed here."

"You thought rightly," Lucy said with a smile. "Thank you so much."

Mr. Beaver came to the door, Corin just behind him looking sheepish, and said, "Blimey! I've never met a more spirited fellow in my life! He'll give your Majesties a run for your money!"

"He already has," Edmund muttered. Louder, he said, "I thank you, Beavers, but we really must get back to the castle. I'm sure Peter and Susan will be quite worried when they find we've all gone missing." They bid the Beavers good day and soon set off for Cair Paravel. Lucy asked Corin how he had gotten lost and Corin took the opportunity to tell his story.

"Well," he said, "I know you told me to stay by the beach but I thought that the woods looked so _interesting_, so I had to take a look, and I _am_ sorry. When I got a ways into the woods, I realized I had no idea how to get back, so I just kept going. And then I came across the nicest Beavers. I'd never met Talking Beavers before now, and it was very exciting to be in their dam. I've never been in a dam! They told me you all have been there. Isn't it great?"

"It's wonderful," Lucy said with a smile. Then she became a bit more serious. "Corin, you mustn't wander off like that. You do know that, don't you?"

"I do," Corin said, "and I am really sorry."

"It's quite all right," Lucy told him. "We're just glad you're safe."

Edmund maintained a stony silence the whole time, and never said a word. His face was rather impassive and no one said anything to him. Corin was too busy talking to Lucy, and Lucy knew that the silence meant Edmund was angry. She knew her brother very well, and clearly something was eating away at him, and he was better left to his own devices. However, he made his anger known as soon as they were at the stables.

"Corin," he said sharply, rounding on the young boy just as he slid off his horse, "do you realize that you could have been hurt?" His voice rose a few notches. "That you could have been _killed_? And then what would have happened? Your poor Father would have been in a terrible state and we would have been as well and don't you think before you do something?"

"I _did_ think about it and it seemed alright at the time," Corin insisted, looking very indignant. "I told you both that I'm sorry."

"I'm sure you are sorry _now_, but you certainly weren't when you left!" Edmund shouted. He was very white and shaking slightly. "How could you be so _foolish_? How could you do such a thing! Lucy_ told_ you not to leave the castle and you did it anyway! You could have _died_, do you understand? This behavior is unbecoming of a Prince!"

Corin stood just a little straighter and turned red in the face, and he looked as if he was going to say something. He took a shaky breath and for a second it seemed that he might have overcome his anger, but then he yelled, "You just don't think I'm brave enough, do you?"

"Brave enough?" Edmund repeated incredulously. He gave a sharp, rather sarcastic laugh. "This isn't a question of your _bravery_, Corin!"

"It isn't? Then why do you keep treating me like I'm a baby?" Corin snapped, looking even angrier.

"Well, you_ are_ only eight," Lucy pointed out, though her comment was lost on the Prince. Edmund, however, picked up on it immediately.

"Lucy's right, Corin," he snapped. "You are only eight and I wouldn't treat you like a baby if you didn't act like one."

"A baby wouldn't go into the forest by itself," Corin muttered sullenly.

"Perhaps not," Edmund said, "but a baby _would_ wander off and get lost as you did."

"I wasn't even terribly lost. I _did_ find the Beavers," Corin said, frowning and looking very defensive. "Why can't you just leave it alone?"

"That isn't the point!" Edmund cried. "Why didn't you do as you were told?" And then his anger faded as the last words echoed in the stable, and he was reminded of a time years ago when, sitting on a battle field, his older brother had asked nearly the same question of him. _When are you going to learn to do as you're told?_ Edmund shook himself out of his memory.

"Boys," Lucy said, moving so that she was standing in between both of them (though the danger of Edmund yelling again was quite past, although she didn't realize this). "Please, fighting isn't going to solve anything. Corin, you must know what you did was wrong. And Edmund, he already apologized and I'm sure he knows it was wrong, don't you, Corin?"

Corin blushed slightly at the imploring smile Lucy gave him and grudgingly answered, "Yes, it was _wrong_, I suppose."

Edmund sighed and walked over to the two and knelt down so he was level with Corin. "I have blown things rather out of proportion, haven't I?" he asked, running a hand through his hair.

"Rather," Lucy answered. Corin, calmed down a bit, gave a laugh and said, "You sounded like my _Father_ just now."

Edmund laughed as well. "I never thought I'd sound like anyone's father. I remember when I used to think that Peter sounded like _our_ Father…" He sighed again and continued, shakily, "Corin, I'm sorry for yelling at you. I…I was just so worried that you would have gotten hurt or died and I felt it would have been my fault." He ran a hand through his hair, took a deep breath, and continued, "You see, I don't have a younger brother but…these past few years you've become sort of like one to me, and I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you. Do you understand?"

Corin looked very surprised and he stood even taller and nodded fervently. Then he said, "I really am sorry. I was just really bored, is all. And I wanted to explore a bit." He bit his lip, and then added rather hastily, "I've thought of you as something of an older brother…only I didn't think you would feel the same way." He hesitated before asking, in a rush, "You…you don't hate me after today, do you?"

Edmund smiled at this newfound knowledge and answered, "No, Corin, I don't hate you. I love you, and I suppose that's why I yelled at you. Peter's done the same to me, you know, because sometimes I can be quite like you. Sometimes I don't do as I'm told."

"Really?" Corin asked with a small laugh. "_You_?"

"Really," Edmund answered. "Me." Upon seeing the mischievous smile spreading across the young Prince's face, he felt compelled to add, "However, I do not recommending doing it without _very good reason_. When we tell you to do something it is for your own good, you know."

"Okay," Corin said, trying to feign reluctance and failing. Instead he smiled again. "I won't disobey _unless_ I have a good reason."

"That is all I ask," Edmund said, grinning more widely. He stood up straight and started to leave, but Corin suddenly hugged him tightly around the waste.

"I love you," the young Prince said quickly, blushing slightly, and Edmund felt overcome with joy. He hugged Corin back. Then they let go, both not liking to be hugged so much and not used to showing affection so readily.

"I love you, too," Edmund told him, "although I believe you already knew that."

Lucy smiled at the both of them and quietly exited the barn. Corin and Edmund followed not long after, chatting animatedly about the sort of things that a young prince and a young king would talk about.

* * *

Later, sitting in Peter's room at the edge of Peter's bed, Edmund related the story of Corin's getting lost in Narnia to his older brother. It was rather late, and both were clad in nightclothes, but neither seemed very tired and Peter was listening raptly.

"I never knew you wanted a younger brother," Peter said once the story was done, looking questioningly at Edmund.

"Well, you know now," Edmund told him. "And I really do feel as though Corin is a younger brother. We're together a lot, you know, when he isn't with Susan. She's rather like a mother to him."

"Well, if there's anyone able to guide Corin as an older brother would, it's you," Peter said with a grin. "I'm sure you can manage him better than most. He listens to you, at the very least."

"Mostly," Edmund said. "Not all the time. I hope he grows out of that not listening stage."

"I second that," Peter said. "For all our sakes."

"He is a very good person, though," Edmund said, "and that is the most important thing."

"It is," Peter agreed, and the two were silent for a few moments. Then the younger of the two broke the silence.

"Well, now I know how you've felt all those times when you've told me to do as I'm told and I haven't listened," Edmund said with a small, slightly shy smile.

Peter laughed and asked, "Does that mean you'll do as you're told from now on?"

Edmund shook his head fervently and laughed. "Hardly!" he answered. "I am still your stubborn younger brother, after all. It wouldn't be the same if I _did_ do as I was told."

Peter shook his head. "No," he mused, "I suppose it wouldn't be."

"But I do have my reasons," Edmund reminded him, "and they've always turned out to be good ones. So I must go on not doing as I'm told, for your sake and the sake of Narnia." The two laughed, but there was a certain amount of truth behind his words.

"Sometimes I'm glad that you do not listen," Peter admitted.

"I suppose I'll do it more often, then," Edmund said with a wry smile. Peter hit him lightly on the arm and they burst out laughing again. After spending a whole day playing the part of older brother, Edmund found that it felt nice to return to the part of younger brother again. Still, hard as he had discovered Peter's job to be, he loved it all the same.

After all, he _had_ always wanted to have a younger brother.


End file.
